Category Archives: Health & Wellbeing

Accepting Winter’s Gifts

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Ann Lovejoy
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One of the best ways to counter despair and toxic info-overload is to develop a durable practice of gratitude. Gratitude is hot stuff these days, researched everyplace from Harvard to Berkeley. Practicing gratitude brings measurable improvements in health and well-being, in happiness and in generosity and altruism. What’s not to like? And why is it so hard to maintain a daily practice? Just as many of us tried out the daily changes that could help slow climate change but gradually drifted back to our old habits, creating a personal practice takes, well, practice. And persistence, something we are beginning to feel a little fondness for, thanks to the estimable Senator Warren. Continue reading →

Posted in Health & Wellbeing, Nutrition, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Stress-Free Seasonal Fun And Food

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Ann Lovejoy
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Last week, we made sachets of fragrant herbs (cedar and eucalyptus) to put in closets and sock drawers, then made bags of herbal tea as well. For the tea, we filled small, muslin drawstring bags with blends of dried lemon balm, rosebuds, peppermint and lavender that we dried this summer. We set their low table with bowls of ingredients and each kid got a larger bowl and a big mixing spoon. The toddler ended up mixing all the bowls up and stirring with measuring spoons while her brother did some extremely vigorous blending and mixing in one big bowl. They played with the herbs for over an hour before getting restless and although quite a lot of the mix ended up on the floor, there was plenty left over to fill our bags. Swaddled in tissue paper and miles of ribbon, they fill a big bag that rustles mysteriously when prodded by small hands. Continue reading →

Posted in Health & Wellbeing, Nutrition, Recipes, Sustainable Living, Vegan Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Finding Light In A Dim Season

Posted on December 4, 2017 by Ann Lovejoy
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Comfort food can definitely have its drawbacks, especially after this insane year when every day required some comfort. I’ve been working on recipes that deliver the soothing impact of classic comfort foods without the overburden of excessive dairy or sugar or etc. I’ll keep offering these recipes to you as the new year unfolds, along with some that have no redeeming nutritional virtue except that of bliss. Surely bliss nourishes us as much as protein or vitamins? For example, this extremely lemony lemon pie, my usual birthday choice, was a major hit at a recent pie day event (true, much of the competition was pumpkin, but still…). Continue reading →

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A Barrel Full Of Beans

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Ann Lovejoy
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For the very best beans, brine them overnight in cold, salted water, rinse them well, then cook them in plain water. I learned this sweet trick from master foodie Harold McGee, author of On Food And Cooking; the science and lore of the kitchen. It’s one of my favorite go-to resources when I can’t figure out why something kitchen related isn’t working the way I think it should. McGee has written extensively about all kinds of foods, including beans, and he says that many factors can cause beans to turn out tough, hard, or mushy. Continue reading →

Posted in fall/winter crops, Health & Wellbeing, Nutrition, preserving food, Recipes, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Vegan Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments